Rymbu says. “I believe that poetry, and language more broadly, is capable today of changing the world politically.” Rymbu is part of a new generation of Russian poets taking up language as a form of political protest, challenging state, societal and patriarchal norms with poetry that draws from personal experience. F pis’mo, or F Writing, a collective of feminist and LGBTQ poets formed in 2017 with members intertwining activism with art to galvanize support for civil rights movements in Russia.
How are Russian poets using words/language to re-imagine the political world around them?